ESSEC Business School

Raphaël Domjan - A Solar-Powered World Tour & the Energy Transition | ESSEC iMagination Week 2025

Raphaël Domjan’s presentation at ESSEC iMagination Week 2025 highlighted his historic solar‑powered world voyage aboard Planet Solar, the largest solar‑electric boat ever built, and positioned the feat as a tangible proof‑of‑concept for a broader energy transition. He traced his journey from early solar web hosting ventures to pioneering solar navigation in polar regions, culminating in a two‑year, $30 million circumnavigation that proved solar propulsion could rival conventional fossil‑fuel vessels. Domjan underscored dramatic cost reductions in photovoltaic technology—dropping from $1,000 per watt in the 1970s to just ten cents today—and a meteoric rise in installed capacity, from half a gigawatt two decades ago to roughly 650 GW in 2024. He warned that meeting the 14 TW renewable target for 2050 will require leveraging the sun’s 600 TW potential, noting that solar alone could supply the world’s electricity needs if roof‑top installations are maximized. Memorable moments included rescuing a fuel‑depleted boat in the Indian Ocean, confronting pirates in the Gulf of Aden, and a serendipitous McDonald’s meeting that secured a €20 million sponsor. Domjan also shared a stark statistic: humanity burns about 300 tons of oil‑derived energy every second, emphasizing the urgency of shifting to inexhaustible solar power. The implications are clear: solar technology is now economically competitive, scaling rapidly, and capable of powering complex, long‑duration missions. Domjan’s story serves as a rallying cry for entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to accelerate funding, infrastructure, and regulatory support for renewable projects, reinforcing that the transition from fossil fuels to solar is not only possible but already underway.